Info about me and my books; miscellaneous musings

At the Zoo

Someone told me
It’s all happening at the zoo.
I do believe it,
I do believe it’s true
– Paul Simon

Well, maybe Paul never made his way to the Minnesota Zoo in January. Several of the critters were put away for the season, on account of the cold, and the animals that were around looked sleepy and/or miserable, just like anyone would on a damp, chilly day.

A few of them were really just moseying, in fact.

The lemurs were lazy, the warthog was weary, and the squirrel didn’t scamper.

The chevrotain… or “bunny deer,” as my wife calls them… looked liked I felt: namely, that he’d rather be at home with a blanket, a beer, and a football game. The coyote didn’t seem to have the get-up-and-go to order a pizza, let alone come up with a scheme to bag a roadrunner. And the Bald Eagle looked flat-out exhausted. It’s hard work, symbolizing America, especially in an election year.

The zoo was more than worth the trip, though… thanks to two otterly cute scenes. First, a nest of wriggling baby small-clawed otters from Asia…

Meanwhile, the North American River Otter seemed completely content to wriggle around in the snow. Them otters have warm coats, and live as far north as the Arctic Circle. This one was happy to pose for pictures, too.

So much for a day at the Minnesota Zoo. Not as much capering wildlife as we hoped, but of course, we always have our little pack of beasts back home.